Right in Front of Me
by kialajaray
Summary: Maybe, Sharpay realized, she had picked the wrong basketball player


**ok i started this fic yesterday and i finished it just now. its a zekepay i LOVE this couple they are my 2nd favorite from hsm. this story went in 3 different directions b4 i finally found one i liked. i hope yall like it**

**summary: maybe, Sharpay realized, she had picked the wrong basketball player**

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Sharpay Evans sighed as she turned her light pink convertible into East High's parking lot. Another day at, perfect, school spirit having, clique integrated East High. It always amazed her how much her high school reminded her of a cheesy Disney movie. Everything about it was perfect, right down to the locks on the lockers.

It was half way threw her senior year, but it still felt like what happened at the country club just happened. Her trying to get Troy, it almost working, then for him and Gabby to get back together. She didn't care about that anymore. The main thing she had been worried about was her brother. She cared about him more than anyone realized, and she finally realized how much she hurt him when he refused to perform with her. Ever since then, she made sure never to treat him like what he felt and thought didn't matter.

More than that had changed about them other than Sharpay treating him with respect, she thought as she walked into the school. It would appear that she didn't notice the way her classmates dodged out of her way. But she did, and she heard every whisper and giggle that they uttered as she walked past. She tried to ignore the hurt the stabbed her in the chest. Trying not to think about it, she turned her thoughts back to Ryan.

He had become a member of the school's Dream Team. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. The school's Dream Team consisted of basketball players, Troy, Chad, Zeke, and Jason. Brainiacs, Taylor, Gabriella, and Martha. And drama geeks Kelsie and Ryan.

She wasn't one of the Dream Team because she knew that half of them didn't like her. They only tolerated her because for some reason that Sharpay didn't understand, Gabby liked her. And her brother of course. But then again, the main, and probably _only_ reason he hung around them was because he was crazy about Gabby. At least he was realistic about it. He knew that he didn't have a chance with Gabby, she was practically engaged to Troy. It was just to bad that he couldn't see how crazy Martha was about him. Sharpay didn't think that anyone except her realized Ryan felt for Gabby, and Martha for him.

Whenever she was around the Dream Team, she would catch Ryan looking at Gabby when he thought no one was watching. Knowing her brother for as long as she was alive, she would see the want in his eyes. She would also see the hurt and even stronger want in Martha's. Martha may not have liked her, but Sharpay genuinely liked Martha. Out of all of the Dream Team, Martha was the one she like the most. Whether or not it had anything to do with her unseen devotion for Ryan, Sharpay wasn't sure.

Sharpay sighed as she reached her locker. After she got her books, she guessed she would go to the auditorium until it was time to go to homeroom. She had been doing that a lot, she knew. In an effort to avoid the fake politeness she would get from most of the group, she just avoided them unless Ryan or Gabby saw her before she could make her escape.

Closing her locker door, she turned and started to walk to the auditorium when she heard "Hey, Shar," from behind her. She tried to ignore another stab of hurt she felt in her chest when she heard her brother's friends groan and Gabby hushing them. She didn't know why she cared so much. She was Sharpay Evans. Queen Bitch of East High. She shouldn't care what they think. They weren't even her friends, but that wasn't saying much though, because her brother was her only friend. She knew she shouldn't care about what they said or thought about her. But she did, and she knew it.

Turning around, she pasted a fake smile on her face. "Hey Ryan, I didn't notice you. Hi everyone." She said the last making an effort to be polite. Not the it was appreciated. She got grumbled hellos from everyone but Gabby and Zeke. Of course Zeke had…

She didn't want to think about that right now. She didn't want to have to be polite to people who had no problem at all showing their dislike of her. Turning to her brother, she opened her mouth to make an excuse to leave but he cut her off. "We're going to hang out until homeroom bell rings, do you want to join us?"

She gave a small smile at her brother's attempt to include her. He always did, but he didn't realize that she didn't belong with them. She never had and never would. She loved her brother even more for not wanting to accept that. Shaking her head she said, "I can't, sorry. I have to get some things ready in the auditorium for Drama Club."

Damn, that wasn't a good lie. Ryan was co-president, he would know if anything needed to be done. Just as feared, he saw threw it. Giving her a strange look, he said, "What needs to be done? We just agreed on the play last week, auditions aren't until next week."

"Oh, you know me Ryan," she said in an overly chipper voice. "I always have to upstage everyone and be the center of attention. I have to go." She turned to leave, but Ryan caught her arm.

Pulling her away from his friends, he looked at her. "What's wrong Shar? Are you alright?"

It took everything for Sharpay no to start crying right there. What the hell was wrong with her? She started the day by thinking how annoyingly prefect East High was, and now she wanted to cry? Maybe it was time to see her mother's shrink. Shaking her head, she told Ryan, "Nothing, I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"Are you sure, we can go talk if you want."

Shaking her head again, she said, "No that's ok. Go with your friends. I'll be fine."

Ryan looked even more concerned. "They're your friends to Shar," he said.

She laughed humorlessly. "If you really expect me to believe that, you're crazy. They hate me."

He frowned down at her. "They don't-" She cut him off. Giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, she said, "Yes, they do. But it's ok. I'll see you later." Not giving him a chance to catch her again, she hurriedly moved away from him and waved to his friends. Zeke was the only one paying any attention to the conversation, so he waved back.

Zeke was the sweetest guy she knew, and why he liked her, she'll never know. Ever since their junior year, he had been giving her compliments and cakes and cookies. She was too busy wrapped up in Troy to notice how mean she was to him. And she knew it had to hurt that she had wanted one of his close friends.

As she entered the auditorium she thought about Troy. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't really remember what she saw in him. He was a good person sure, but he was influenced by other to easily. It didn't take much for him to brush off his friends for professional basketball players over the summer. And then before that he had let his friends talk him into acting like singing with Gabby didn't matter. Sharpay was sure that that was the kind of boy she wanted months ago, someone who she could bend to her will, but now it didn't hold very much appeal at all.

Walking into the auditorium, she sat down and thought. She couldn't think of any other flaws that Troy had, she realized, because she didn't know him at all. She was sure Gabby could make lists about his flaws. But she couldn't think up anything else. How in the hell could she been obsessed with a trying to get a boy for the better part of a year, and not know a thing about him. And she was sure that he didn't know anything about her other than what people said at school or what he chose to assume about her.

Zeke on the other hand, never had believed anything that was said about her. And he still liked her after what she did, twice, to Troy and Gabby. He seemed to actually enjoy her company when she was around. Sharpay remembered that when he had finally been able to make his prefect crème Brule, she was the one that he wanted to taste it. It had been the best thing she had ever tasted. She remembered with a smile how he blushed when she told him that.

It dawned on her that she knew just about everything about Zeke. He could cook just about anything, but he loved to cook desserts. Cookies were his specialty. Sharpay couldn't count the extra hours she spent in her workout room at her house trying to burn the calories off from too many of his cookies. He loved to cook for his friends, he loved working at Lava Springs, but that was just cooking for people he didn't know. He'd rather cook a big meal in his own kitchen for his friends.

He was stubborn too. He didn't stop making a dish unless it tasted perfect him. His stubbornness also showed in his pursuit of her. When he was thinking about something important, he would tap his right foot, but if he was mad at something, his left foot would tap. He'd look at her eyebrows if he was lying to her.

Sharpay gave a frustrated sigh as she slumped into a seat. She could name a million more small things about Zeke that she couldn't even imagine naming about Troy. Maybe, Sharpay realized, she had picked the wrong basketball player.

Someone sat down next to her. "A cookie for your thoughts," Zeke told her holding at a box of cookies.

Good Lord, she'd conjured him up. Smiling, she took a cookie. "You know, you shouldn't eat these things so early in the morning."

"I see that you still are," he said smiling as he watched her eat one of his cookies. "What has you in such deep thought."

"Actually," she said. "I'm realizing how stupid I am."

"You're not stupid Sharpay," he said shaking his head. "You're one of the smartest people I know."

"I doubt that. Taylor, Gabby, and Martha are a million times smarter than me."

"I'm not talking about book smarts. You're smart there too, but do you think a dumb person could put together a play, star in it, handle school work, and still be able to take a Pilates class, all at the same time?"

She shrugged. "So I can multitask."

She heard him sigh. "So you're stupid. What are you so stupid about?"

What could she tell him? That she was to obsessed with trying to get his friend that she couldn't see that such a better guy wanted her all a long? She didn't think that would a great boost to his ego. She decided to ask him a question of her own. "Zeke, why do you like me so much?"

He gave her a startled look. She couldn't blame him. She had never actually acknowledged his obvious feelings for her before. "Well," he said, seemingly deep in thought. "When you want something, you don't stop until you get it. Look at Troy. Even before Gabby came, you were trying to get him."

"Yes, well trying to steal someone's boyfriend isn't exactly something people admire."

"It's not the fact that you tried to steal Troy. You knew what you wanted and you decided to get it."

"Oh," she said. She had never looked at it that way. "What else?"

"If I named all the reasons why I care about you. We'd be here forever," Zeke told her.

Sharpay blushed. "What's the main reason then," she asked anxiously.

He smiled. "I can see past the Ice Queen façade that you put up. You're just a good of a person as Gabby or anyone else. You don't show it, but you care about people. When Mrs. Darbus got sick, everyone thought it was brownnosing, but I know that you went to her house to make sure she was alright. Actually, I'm glad that no one else can see it. I'd have to fight every guy in the school for your attention."

She smiled, but the bell rang before she could answer him. "Come on," he said taking her books from her hand. "I'll walk you to class."

They were quiet as they made their way threw the crowed halls of the school. Why hadn't Sharpay realized what such a good guy was right in front of her all along? Like she told him earlier, she was stupid. What would she have done if he decided she wasn't worth it and moved on?

"What's that you're humming," she heard him ask.

"What?" She hadn't even realized that she was humming.

"It sound familiar," Zeke said.

It took Sharpay a few seconds to realize what she had been humming. Smiling, she said, "It's a song from last year's musical. Gabby and Troy performed it. Do you want me to sing the words?"

"Sure."

Taking a deep breath, she started to sing softly. "It's hard to believe, that I couldn't see that you were always there beside me. Thought I was alone, with no one to hold, but you were always there beside me. This feelings like no other. I want you to know, that I've never had someone who knows me like you do. And I've never had someone who's good for me as you. So lonely before I finally found, what I've been looking for."

By the time she had stopped singing, they had reached their homeroom. She looked up to find that Zeke was looking at her intently. "Sharpay.." he began.

"I never answered your question," she told him before he could finish.

"What question?" He still stared at her intently.

"Why I'm stupid."

"Why are you?"

"I'm stupid," she said. "Because I was to busy wrapped up in a guy I'm not really sure I even like that I didn't notice that I had one a million times better right in front of me all along."

"Shar, you don't have-"

Leaning up, she kissed him hard on the mouth, stopping any further argument from him. Stepping back, she smiled when she saw the dazed look on his face. "What are you doing tonight," she asked. "I want you to come over so I can cook for you."

The dazed look was immediately replaced by a look of horror. "Nope. No way. You're not cooking. Ryan told me the last time that you did, you had to get a new kitchen because of the fire damage."

Sharpay glared at him. "He did, did he? I think that I have to have a talk with my loving brother."

He laughed, then quickly glanced around. "You know," he said. "Everyone saw you kiss me. They're staring at us now."

"So," she shrugged. "Let them stare. If you don't want me to cook for you then we're going out. But I'm paying."

He smiled. "Are we going on a date?"

"Of course we are," she said as she heard Mrs. Darbus tell them that the bell was going to ring soon. "That's what boyfriend and girlfriend do." She turned to walk into class, but Zeke stopped her.

"That's what we are now," he asked looking a little stunned and a little unbelieving.

"Of course we are," she said again. "Didn't you just say that when I wanted something I go after it? I want you. Now, are you just going to come peacefully, or do I have to use force?"

Aware that everyone was watching, but not caring, Zeke leaned down and kissed her. "I'll come peacefully."

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**ok so do u like it? i ove zekepay. i didnt want to have sharpay all happy and nice like n the one im writing now. i believe n realistic fics. and i dont see all of the others liking her. espcially taylor and chad. well i hope u liked it. im thinking about writing a fic for ryan and martha 2. plz review and tell me what u think**

**kialajaray**


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